News Notes: Government Says It’s Illegal To Exclude Contraceptive Coverage

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has ruled in two separate cases that it is illegal to exclude coverage for contraceptive prescriptions in an employer-provided health plan that also covers a wide variety of other preventative services, including vaccinations, preventative dental care and surgical sterilization. Prior to these rulings, the issue of whether excluding female contraceptives amounts to sex discrimination came to light when some health insurers decided to cover Viagra, setting off protests that such plans should also be required to cover birth control pills.